Fairy Fire
by TheFailedWriter
Summary: One day, Natsu announces that he's leaving the guild, but what's actually going in is far more sinister. Rated for mild language.
1. Chapter 1

"Sorry, Grey. Tell everyone… tell them I'm alright, okay? Tell them I've gone on a long mission, but I'll try to come back soon. Goodbye, Grey." Natsu smiled a pained smile and blinked tears from his eyes and ran over to the small group of darkly dressed men a few metres away from them.

No. It wasn't meant to happen like this. Natsu couldn't just leave. What did he mean a long mission? What was happening? Who were those people?

Grey reached out to grab on to the fire mage and hold him forever, never letting him go.

It was too late. Natsu was too far away and he could do nothing but watch as his best friend left him to break the news to everyone else.

"Natsu…" He whispered in shock and fell to his knees.

Later he walked into the guild, a shadow hiding his face.

"Hey, Grey! What's up?" Lucy asked, beaming as usual.

Grey couldn't return her smile. Not today.

"Grey?" She leaned closer, trying to peek at his face under his hair.

"He's gone." He mumbled weakly.

"What?" Lucy was cheerfully confused.

More like blissfully ignorant, Grey thought. He had to break the news to her, even though she'd be crushed.

"Natsu's… gone." He elaborated a tiny bit.

"What do you mean, Grey? Natsu's gone where?" She smiled openly, and Grey couldn't help but imagine her expression when he told her.

"That goddamned idiotic flame-brain's gone and left Fairy Tail!" He screamed at last, tears in his eyes.

The entire guild went silent as his statement cut through the cheerful air like a reaper's scythe.

Every grin and smirk and angry frown was wiped from the building. The entire guild was utterly soundless – speechless.

Silent tears sprang forth from Lucy's eyes.

"What?" She asked, quivering hands over her mouth. "Natsu is… Why? Why would you say something like that, Grey? Answer me! That's a sick joke! Stop it right now or I won't forgive you!" She screamed at him.

"I'm sorry." He merely replied.

"No. I won't believe it. I can't understand what you're saying. Natsu would never…"

"He's gone, Lucy. He said to tell you he was going on a long mission and would be back as soon as he could, but…"

"He's just on a mission, then. You scared me, Grey." Lucy tried to make herself believe it.

"There were tears in his eyes, Lucy. He said 'sorry' and 'goodbye'. He's not coming back." His voice shook but he couldn't care less.

Lucy crumpled to the floor in front of him, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything but stand there with his head bowed.

He heard Mira drop a plate somewhere in the room but didn't turn to look.

Cana had dropped her sake, Reedus had let his brush draw an ugly line through his most recent painting and Erza and Happy were also crying silently.

'What are you doing, Natsu?' He thought to himself. 'Did you really think we'd accept that? You've always been an idiot with no sense of self-preservation but this is going too far, don't you think?'

"We'll find him." A voice came from near the doors of the guild.

Grey turned his head to look, as did the rest of the guild.

Romeo stood in the doorway, clenching his fists by his sides with tears running down his cheeks.

"Natsu would never leave Fairy Tail if he had the choice. Something must have happened, so we'll find him and we'll save him, because that's what he would do and that's what it means to be a Fairy Tail mage!"

"Romeo…" Macao smiled at his son, ever-faithful to the pink-haired mage.

"Besides, even if he does want to leave, he hasn't had the traditional Fairy Tail farewell ceremony, so we can't let him leave, right?" He grinned.

The whole guild sprang into action. They would never let go of Natsu. He was the heart and soul of the guild and the personification of everything they stood for. They'd fight for him to their deaths. He was a brother or son to all of them and they couldn't let him leave.

"For Natsu." Grey breathed.

"For Natsu." Lucy repeated.

"For Natsu." Happy tried to smile.

"For Natsu!" Erza looked determined.

"For Natsu!" Makarov shouted from the highest balcony.

"FOR NATSU!" Cheered the whole guild, wiping their tears.


	2. Chapter 2

"That was alright, wasn't it?" The dragon slayer asked after leaving Grey crumpled on the ground in tears.

"Yeah, yeah. I guess it was fine. So long as they don't try to find you they won't get hurt." One man replied.

"Come on, kid. We don't have all day. If you don't cooperate we have the power to destroy your friends. One-by-one~" Another member threatened in a sweet tone, pushing the pink-haired boy into their van.

"I think we should start with that blonde girl, though perhaps we could have a little fun before we take her apart, piece by piece." A third man grinned, licking his disgustingly thick lips.

All five of the group smiled at that.

Natsu had to keep himself from hurting them when they said that. He knew what these people were capable of and was not willing to put any of his friends in that sort of danger, even if that meant he had to endure it instead.

"Okay. I understand. I'll do anything you say so please, don't touch them." He pleaded desperately.

"Ehh? Did that sound like an order to you?" The fourth member asked the fifth.

"No way, he wouldn't think of doing something like that with his comrades on the line, he probably just forgot how to address us, right _boy_?" The fifth replied, landing a kick to Natsu's chest.

"I'm s-so s-sorry, M-Masters." Natsu spluttered, tears in his eyes.

"That's better. See how much easier it is when you just do as you're told, stupid animal?" The second member grinned down at him. "Now get up. We need to get going."

Natsu got to his feet shakily and was roughly shoved into the back of the van with two of the five members.

'Grey, Lucy, everyone, I'm sorry.' He thought as he lay on the cold metal floor and the vehicle started moving.

He reigned in his motion sickness enough to not throw up, because that would almost certainly result in at least one of his fellow guild members' death.

They arrived at an old warehouse in an abandoned district.

"Get out." One of the men commanded, kicking him for good measure.

He quickly struggled to his feet, still unsteady.

One of the men grabbed him by the hair and dragged him inside a dark building, where he saw a large stone with a dragon printed on it.

"H-how?" He asked, eyes widening. How could they have that technology? That was what he and Wendy had endured in Edolas, so how could it be in Earthland?

"Impressed, kid?" One member asked, smirking.

"Th-that's… Magic draining…"

"How does he know what it is?" Another member seemed worried.

"We're the only ones with this technology, so how?!"

"Spill it, boy! Where have you seen this before?" Natsu got a punch to the gut and suddenly the whole group was trying to beat it out of him.

"Stop." A voice echoed through the warehouse.

"But, Chief…" One of the members began, only to be silenced with a glare.

"We want him at full power or we won't get as much. Tie him up to it, he'll soon tell us where he saw it."

The five subordinates seemed excited at that and quickly obeyed.

"Natsu Dragneel," The chief said, descending the stairs.

He stopped at a large ray-gun-like device.

"Welcome to Hell." He flicked a switch and the most devastating agony overcame Natsu's body for the second time in his life.


	3. Chapter 3

It was excruciating. It was worse than in Edolas, maybe because back then he had been more focussed on protecting Wendy. He couldn't help but cry out and writhe.

The machine turned off and he hung limply, panting.

"So, Mr Dragneel. Would you like to tell us where you've seen our technology before?"

"In Edolas. Another universe." He croaked, already hoarse from screaming.

"Do I look like an idiot, Mr Dragneel?"

"No, M-Master." He replied.

"Good boy. Now, I obviously won't believe such an obvious lie, so tell me; where did you see this technology before? I must warn you, if you lie to me again, it won't be you getting the punishment. Does the name Lucy Heartfilia mean anything to you?"

Natsu's eyes shot open.

"I'll give her to my lovely boys here if you don't cooperate. Maybe she could become their slave? Or, perhaps…" His lips pulled into a corrupted leer.

"NO! Pl-please! I beg of you! Don't touch her! Please! Hurt me as much as you like just don't… don't… please." He choked out. "Please, Master."

"Oh well, I suppose it doesn't really matter~ We don't care that much. But your screams are honestly delicious. I think I'd like seconds." The man licked Natsu's face from his chin to the white of his eye and Natsu could do nothing to protest.

"Turn it on." The man commanded, stepping back.

The agony returned and Natsu screeched, thrashing against his bonds futily.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Natsu. That is, if you survive the night." The chief left, followed by his cronies. One man stayed behind to guard him.

At around midnight Natsu passed out and the guard turned off the machine, not wanting to lose their new power supply so soon.

Eventually Natsu began to dream about the guild.

_"Natsu~ I want fish!" Happy exclaimed, bouncing up and down._

_"Ask Mira for it yourself!" He replied, before going to talk to Lucy._

_"Hey, Lucy. What are you writing?" He asked as he walked up to her. She had been writing in her notebook for a while now and he thought she could use a break._

_"Uwaah~" She jumped in surprise and hugged it to her chest. "Don't read it!"_

_"Oi, Flame-brain." He heard from behind him._

_He turned around and ducked when a punch came flying towards him._

_"What was that for? Stupid Ice Princess!"_

_"What's that I hear? Could it be the pot calling the kettle black?" Grey laughed, dodging Natsu's punch._

_"You perverted stripper!"_

_"Hot-headed Retard!"_

_"Droopy eyes!"_

_"Slanty eyes!"_

_Grey threw a punch and Natsu dodged, then Grey was on the floor in a pool of his own blood._

_"G-Grey?" Natsu shook, seeing the blood on his own hands. He was suddenly standing with the five men and their chief at his back._

_"You did this." Chief said._

_Natsu became aware of all of his comrades, still in the positions their meaningless deaths left them in._

_"This is your fault. You have to listen to us now, or else this will happen, and not even Fairy Tail can stand up to us."_

_Maniacal laughter resounded in his head and the pain came back._

He woke up to the agonising pain of the magic drainer and his own screams filing his ears.

He felt that repulsive tongue licking his tears but could not raise a hand against these men. He knew what the consequences would be and he couldn't face that. He'd do anything to keep that dream away, even if he had to give himself as a sacrifice.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been five days since Natsu had announced he was going on a long mission and left. The guild still had nothing.

"I FOUND SOMETHING!" Levi shouted and everyone gathered around her. Nobody had gone on a mission since Natsu left and it had become the only thing any of them thought about.

"I was looking at the surveillance lacrima footage sent from Blue Pegasus and I found a van pulling up to a supposedly abandoned warehouse. I thought it was nothing at first but then…"

The footage played and they watched Natsu get kicked and pulled by the hair. They could see into the warehouse a little as well, so they saw him looking scared and bring beaten up, then they saw him dragged out of their sight.

"Natsu!" Lucy squeaked.

"Where is that?" Grey asked.

As soon as they heard the address, Erza climbed into the driver's seat of her car and slipped on the wristband. Grey climbed into the back and Lucy followed. The rest of the guild found other modes of transport and they all headed to the warehouse.

They got there and could immediately hear their friend's tortured cries.

The door was blown into the building, even though it was a sliding door of reinforced steel.

"Who are you?!" The men inside screeched as soon as the guild entered.

"We're just here to take back what you took from us." Grey smiled sweetly.

Natsu opened his eyes and saw his teammates. Immediately he was terrified.

He couldn't stop screaming long enough to form a coherent sentence, but he managed to make one word.

"RUN!"

They looked at Natsu, confused. They had come to rescue him. Why was he telling them to leave?

"Oh? Natsu, are these friends of yours? Ah yes. Erza Scarlet, Grey Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia, Gajeel Redfox, Juvia Lockser, Wendy Mavell, Mirajane Strauss, Elfman Strauss, Lisanna Strauss, Levy McGarden, Romeo Conbolt, and the rest of Fairy Tail. Am I right?" He chuckled as if he were having a pleasant conversation. He turned up the machine and Natsu thrashed more violently, tears streaming from his eyes and screams being ripped from his throat. The machine was turned up to maximum and his throat closed up. He couldn't scream anymore, or think, or see. The pain was so much he couldn't take it and just before he passed out, Chief turned the machine off.

"Now, now, Natsu. We can't have you dying just yet; we still need our precious power supply, don't we?" He smirked and licked Natsu's tears again.

"Run, please." The wrecked mage choked out, brokenly.

The guild's anger flared at the display. They didn't care how the guy knew them; they wanted Natsu back and they were not leaving until these people let him go.

"BLUMENBLATT!"

"ICE MAKE: ICE CANON!"

"SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"

"IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!"

"OPEN THE GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL! TAURUS!"

"WATER NEBULA!"

The entire guild attacked at once, though it was all absorbed by the magic draining machine.

"Hahah! Is that all you've got?"

"COWARD!" Lucy cried, suddenly she was hit with an invisible magic and fell down, unconscious.

"L-Lu…cy…" Natsu tried to find the strength to struggle even a little but he couldn't move. Five days of almost non-stop power draining had taken away every ounce of strength he had.

"YOU BASTARDS!" Grey shouted, preparing to attack when he suddenly collapsed as well.

"G…rey…" Natsu whispered.

One by one the guild members fell to this invisible force.

Then, Natsu saw it. This wasn't an invisible, incredible magic at all. It was strings. It was all smoke and mirrors. Marionette Magic.

He watched as his friends fell one by one and the furious, blind rage built up inside him. It was unbearably painful but he had to do it, or his nightmare would come true. His friends meant more that he did, so he focussed on his anger. His friends, the closest thing to a family he had, the people who had saved him and who always saved him and who always would save him, his comrades were being hurt right in front of him. They needed him.

As if possessed by a new kind of power, Natsu's body lit up in flames and his bonds fell away. The stone with the dragon print crumbled and he walked towards Chief.

"It would have been better for you if we hadn't met, 'Master'." He said right into the man's ear, burning away the hair around it.

The bright flames engulfed the building. The six men writhed and screamed but their bodies weren't burned. There was no physical damage but the sensory pain was enough to knock them out. The guild members, on the other hand, were completely unharmed. They too were caught in the flames but they didn't feel any pain. There was just a sensation of warmth and safety in the fire.

They had all recovered from the magic as soon as Chief was hit by the fire, and they watched Natsu fighting for them, despite what he had just endured.

The flames dwindled and Natsu collapsed. His Second Origin had been completely used up.

Grey, Lucy and Erza ran over to him, Happy in tow.

"Natsu!" Erza picked him up and instructed Lucy to call the Rune Knights to take care of these guys. Warren, you and Vijeeter stay here to make sure they get put away for a long, long time."

"Aye Sir!" The pair announced.

"Warren, I'll be sure to contact you when something happens with Natsu." She said, more softly, before she walked out with Natsu in her arms.


	5. Chapter 5

Three hours later the entire guild except Warren, Vijeeter and Gildarts were in the infirmary, waiting for Natsu to open his eyes.

Wendy had done her best to heal him but she had only been able to refill some of his magic after refilling his Second Origin to keep him from dying.

They were cycling in and out now, having decided Natsu's condition was stable and he wasn't going to die.

Gildarts entered the guild and nobody had noticed the warning bells or the Gildarts shift, they had all been too worried about Natsu.

"Where's my welcome home?" Gildarts called, concerned.

"Yo, Gildarts. Sorry, we're all a bit on edge right now, we have been ever since Natsu…" Mira answered.

"What happened to Natsu?" Now he was definitely worried. He hadn't been attacked yet or even heard the dragon slayer.

"He left the guild."

"WHAT?!"

"Not like that. He met some bad people and tried to leave the guild for our sake because they threatened to kill us all or something. We went and got him back, but honestly he saved us more than we saved him."

"Sounds like Natsu." Gildarts chuckled. "So he's alright now?"

"He's resting in the sickbay for now but he should be fine." She smiled.

"I guess I should go see him."

"Don't you dare start a fight Gildarts or else." Mira threatened.

"Yeah, yeah." He waved her off as he headed for the medical centre.

"By the way, Mira," He said, returned. "How was the battle?" He grinned.

"Honestly, most of us were sort of pathetic. The 'Chief' guy used Marionette Magic but none of us noticed and we all got knocked down." Mira began.

Romeo, who had just come down the stairs, continued for her. "But then Natsu, who had been subject to the magic draining device for five days straight, used some really awesome fire magic. He set the whole warehouse on fire but nobody got burned!"

"It seems the fire caused pain to the six assailants without any physical damage." Mira finished.

"But weren't you all in the warehouse?" Gildarts asked, dubiously.

"Yeah, but it wasn't painful at all. The fire felt kind of like Natsu! It was… warm and really… really kind. It felt… safe." Romeo grinned bashfully.

"And what did he call this new move?" Gildarts asked, intrigued.

"He didn't. There was no attack name. It just… happened." Mira answered. "But I suppose if I had to give it a name, I'd call it…"

Gildarts named it for her,

"Fairy Fire."


End file.
